A maiden Sunfoil Series century, a classy occupation of the crease for 403 minutes, and an emphatic contribution to the Nashua Cape Cobras’ best four-day batting performance of the season were the special features of Omphile Ramela’s 27th birthday at the Newlands cricket ground on Saturday.

The stylish left-hander struck 129 in 403 minutes off 311 balls with 17 boundaries and a six as he powered the defending champions to an impressive 545 against the Chevrolet Warriors at Newlands. “I have basically been in decent touch and I have had a lot of starts but failed to convert them,” he said about his build-up to the ton at Newlands. Asked if a lack of focus or concentration were factors, Ramela said four-day cricket is an art that is learned over time, and focus was not a factor. He spoke to some senior players about his game and spent some time in the nets to seek improvement, and the century was just rewards for his work-ethic. Ramela said it is even more gratifying that the 545 was a collective effort, and several players contributed to the massive score. Justin Ontong (82), Richard Levi (79), Justin Kemp (73), Stiaan van Zyl (30), Dane Vilas (38) and Robin Peterson (29) all made their presence felt. The number-three batsman added that he felt the Cape Cobras bowling has been superb during the four-day campaign, but the batsmen let the bowlers down a few times by not compiling scores of 400 or more to put sides under pressure. He said changes to the team every week might have affected the stability, but the current side, he expects greater consistency. “I expect the guys to finish strongly in the last two games,” he added. Asked about celebrating his feats on his 27th birthday, Ramela said: “No, there was no fanfare. It was just business as usual. I went out for supper, and that is it.” Ramela made his presence felt during the Ram Slam T20 Challenge final with a man of the match performance with the bat. He said the four-day game required a more circumspect approach. “You have so many chances to score. I basically can wear the bowlers down. Things are much different when a bowler is in his 25th over, to what it is in his second over,” he added. “One thing I always wanted to do, was to bat for a whole day, which I managed to do in that innings,” he said. A feature of his innings was his excellent partnership of 162 runs for the fourth wicket with Ontong, whose belligerent 82 off 107 balls added momentum to the Cobras’ quest to change the tempo of the game. Will this knock give him confidence? “I am not sure, but I do know it is a vindication of the hard work I have put in before this innings,” he added.